Bloodbonds
by BeautifullyChaotic
Summary: Hermione finds out something that will change everything in her life, and everyone's perception of her. Chapter Three is up! (finally!)
1. Acquisition

**Author's note:** To everyone who has even got to this page, I thank you! This is the first part…more a teaser, really…of my first HG/DM fic. PLEASE review, I'm absolutely desperate for anything you can throw at me. Also, if you have any idea about what you think should happen please tell me. Please email me or leave a contribution in the little box. And enjoy!

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She read the parchment with shaking hands. Her grandmother was a witch. Her heritage was wizarding. Pureblood wizard heritage. Her parents were the biggest squibs in the United Kingdom, and had been obliviated at the age of 11, ensuring they no longer knew about the wizarding world. 

Which left her next in the line of inheritance: her paternal grandmother had left her the deeds to the Mansion - 

50 acres of land just out of Hogsmeade with Mansion attatched. She bit her lip and absent-mindedly stroked the black and white owl that had delivered her grandmothers will. But the catch was, that she had to join the circle. 

"What did you get Mione?" Ron's voice broke through her reverie. She shoved the parchment into her bag, trying not to look guilty. 

"Erm, Nothing. I'm going to class." Hermione hefted her bag and left the hall, leaving her very confused best friends behind her. 

Hermione's feet led her to the library. It was the one place that Hermione could be alone and could always be comfortable. She kneeled on the window seat, her head hanging out the open window and looked out over the lake. 

She sighed. She knew about the circle. She had read about it, purely objectively. But now….now it was different. Now she had the chance to not only be in the sect, but to be the leader. It was an inherited position, and because her mother was a squib, the circle had been broken. It only took a generation. Now, she would be the restorer of the circle. She would have more power than she could imagine. 

'HOLD UP, Myne.' Screamed the little voice inside her. 'You're Harry Potter's best friend and you want to run off and practise dark magic, just because you inherited it?!' She shook herself mentally. I'm turning into a bloody Malfoy. 

Speak of the devil. 

"You want a push, Granger?" Came the Malfoy drawl from somewhere behind her. 

Hermione quickly moved away from the window. "What do you want, ferret-face?" She growled, in no mood to be trifled with given the recent revelations. Even if he was extemely good eye-candy. Hermione cringed slightly at her own thoughts. 

'EWWW! Hermione! Don't you DARE think such thoughts!' yelled her inner voice. 

'What? He IS!' 

'SHUT UP ALL OF YOU. I have to listen to what he's saying so I can come up with a retort!!' Under pain of losing a match of verbal sparring, both voices quieted. 

"What do I want?" He took a step closer, gaze raking her form shamlessly. "Well, I have to say that seeing you naked would be pretty high on my list." 

"Don't aim so high." She ground out between clenched teeth. "Why are you here. Now." 

"Oh. I was just going to shag some sense into an annoyingly hot mudblood bitch." He leered at her. 

Hermione smiled sweetly. "And she finds this romantic? You two deserve each other then, Good Luck." She started to walk past Draco only to be slammed backwards into a set of shelves. "I suggest," She murmured in a cold voice that in no way resembled her own. "That you think twice before doing anything you might regret. In light of recent revelations. I believe you have enough Blood Feuds in your family." 

Draco Malfoy paled slightly but, to his credit, kept his composure and managed a sneer. "And what would these 'revelations' be?" He asked in an indulgent tone. 

Hermione leaned forward conspiratorially, "Wouldn't you like to know?" she whispered and with that was gone without a trace. Draco Malfoy frowned as he noticed he was now pinning thin air to the bookcase. "What in the Seven Hells?!!" and with that, a fuming Malfoy whirled around, looking for the errant Gryffindor and stormed out of the completely desserted library to his first class. 


	2. Materialisation

Author's Note: To anyone who has so far read my fic: _**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU**_ For the reviews, I didn't expect to get nearly so many, and am humbled by the response. The plan at the moment is that I will be updating once a week, Wednesday/Thursday Australian ES Time. 

In other news:   
*I'm looking for someone who would be willing to beta for me and possibly offer plot ideas? If you'd like to offer please email me. *I'm also setting up an update email-list to let you know about delays and when the next chapter is up, so if you'd like to go on it, email me or say so in your review.   
This chapter is dedicated to **Anna**, for her suggestions and flattery.

Enjoy :) And Review. Heh.  
Exeltica  


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Hermione blinked in a mixture of astonishment and fear, shivering slightly at the aftershock of magic seeping slowly out of her and disappearing into the air. 

_'What the HELL?! Wasn't I just…library…sleaze…Malfoy._'

She sat down heavily on her bed in the empty dorm, feeling a little faint from her..trip. Taking a few deep, cleansing breaths, Hermione forced herself to consider what had happened in the previous hour. She was a pureblood. Malfoy - apparently - had a thing for her. Not that you could trust a Malfoy. Ever. Although, Hermione mused, she could almost set her watch by the Mudblood remarks, even if they were untrue. A slow smile spread over her face.

Untrue. False. Fallacy.

"Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it, Draco Malfoy." She whispered defiantly, a small smile curling her lips. With a happy smile, she sunk back onto her bed, the softness of her mattress yielding quietly. How long she lay like that, oblivious to everything a future head girl should be concerned about, she wasn't sure. It could have been seconds, it could have been hours. 

_'How did a piece of paper make my life more simple than it has been since I came to Hogwarts?' _She wondered_. 'A woman I never knew has made my life easier by dieing. How morbid.'_

Hermione shook herself and sat up with a start. "My classes!" She murmured, shocked and dismayed that she had forgotten them. Crookshanks looked at her disdainfully from his mid-pillow sunning position before closing his eyes, and appearing to sleep. She sighed and shrugged, it was only Transfiguration and Charms, She'd already finished the coursework for the whole of this week and a bit of the next. But, she did have that essay for History of Mag....  
Then Hermione saw it. 

_'Wow.' _

Gracing the end of her bed, was the most exquisitely beautiful piece of furniture Hermione had ever imagined, let alone seen. 'It' was a highly polished Oak chest, just slightly longer than her single bed was across. The sides were carved with magnificently detailed dragons, hounds, unicorns and the occasional sea serpent, while the top of smoothly fitted different planks (what appeared to be Gorse, Hazel, Fir, Two planks of Rowan, Fir again, woven strands of Ivy, Hawthorn, Fir yet again and Ash) within the border of Smoothed and polished Heavy Oak. A manticore was carved across the entirety of the lid of the trunk, with a minute Sapphire inset for an eye and what looked like shards of Jasper for the stinger at the end of the tail. The lid, sides, handles and lock were of amazingly black wrought iron, fitted seamlessly into the glossy wood. 

Hermione blinked in awe and trailed her hand slowly and gingerly over the heavy trunk, savouring the slip of the wood under her tentative strokes of her fingertips. Eyes drifting closed of their own accord, her palm continued to sweep across the sleek polish and suddenly, she felt the wood hum pleasantly under her gentle and awe-filled caress. 

With a rough gasp and a staggered step backwards, Hermione's eyes flew open to look at the inanimate -- she hoped -- piece of furniture, set at the end of her bed, where her old steamer trunk had been when she left the dormitory this morning for breakfast. What was even stranger was that she had seen neither hide nor hair of the battered chest that had served her so faithfully since 3rd year. 

Hermione considered the situation. _'My trunk has gone missing and has been replaced by the most beautiful, sentient trunk that looks like it's straight out of a fairy-tale. Great.'_ What was of greater concern, however, was that the trunk was locked stoutly, and if, by some odd happening, her things were in it - there was no way of getting them out. Hermione was just glad that she had laid out her books for the day on her desk. 

There was a loud exclamation from the doorway just as Pavarti and Lavender came thundering up the stairs, Hermione quickly shoved the trunk under her thankfully high bed. Or tried to, at least. The beautiful thing wouldn't budge! And here came her dorm mates...

"...And so I said to him, 'Fine, if you like her that much, why don't you go and *sit* with her?!'" Oh good, Pavarti was ranting about her latest boyfriend shenanigan, they were unlikely to pay any attention to her. 

"Oh!" Lavender ground out, suitably infuriated and empathetic to her best friend's plight. "What do her say to that, Pav?" Hermione surreptitiously picked up a book and sprawled over the immovable case, in an attempt to cover it.

"WELL..." Here Pavarti trailed into a long winded explanation of just WHAT that Hufflepuff said, (using far more expletives than Hermione privately thought any self-respecting Hufflepuff would utter in public) as she fixed her already-meticulous makeup charms. "...So eventually I told the arsehole just where he could shove his wand."

Lavender whooped at this. "Good on ya Pav!" the two made to leave to go to lunch, but suddenly noticed the other girl reading on her bed. "Hi Hermione!" They chorused, their voices setting Hermione's teeth on edge.

Suddenly Pavarti tilted her head in puzzlement. "Hermione...um...what are you doing?"

Hermione blinked at the girl. "I beg your pardon?" she replied, a frown barely creasing her brow.

Lavender too had noticed and gestured to the chest that Hermione was sitting on in puzzlement. Hermione felt her insides go cold with fear, for some unknown reason. "Well you're going to think I'm dense...but don't usually..balance like that do they??"

Hermione cottoned on quickly. "Oh. Just practising my levitation charms, that's all.." 

The two girls nodded in understanding, although rolling their eyes good-naturedly. "Really. Hermione it's not as if you *need* the practise or anything.." They left the room without a backward glance, and Hermione flopped back onto her bed in relief and uttered a quick thank you to whichever gods happened to be listening that the girls she shared her dorm with were complete airheads.

Quickly, she gathered her books and the finished Arithmancy assignment and grabbed her book bag, making her way quickly towards the great hall, and lunch, before her friends came looking for her. 

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Draco Malfoy was pissed off. He didn't know *what* had happened to Granger, but her was damn sure that she had done it just to make him look stupid. The worst part was...It had worked. He stabbed bitterly at the Roast beef and potatoes in front of him.

"Stupid bint..." He growled under his breath.

"What was that Drakie?"

Malfoy shuddered. That *thing* which some people decided to call a female, was the other part of the problem. She claimed that they were betrothed, but the truth was, Draco knew for a fact that his...he bit back bile...father had only implied that to the Parkinsons. He didn't even bother to contemplate his father's reasoning behind it. Lucius Malfoy was a twisted fuck, and nothing that anyone said could convince him otherwise. A final stab at the beef and Draco shoved his plate away and looked up in time to see Hermione look away.

He smirked sadistically. It was genetic, it seemed, to be twisted in the Malfoy clan. He stood and sauntered over to the Gryffindor table. He edged up behind Hermione who was currently eating her food with relish, as she hadn't had a chance to eat at breakfast.

"Hello, Granger..." He murmured softly, almost menacingly. 

She froze mid bite, "What do you want *now* Malfoy?" the fork continued to her mouth and she ate, waiting for a response. 

"To talk to you about..." He quirked an eyebrow. "the library." Harry and Ron were looking from Draco to Hermione in such a confused manner, it would almost have been endearing, if they didn't look so stupid. 

Hermione finished her lunch in another bite. "Well done, Malfoy. You're officially the Drama Queen here. And I stress the word...'queen.'" She smirked as Draco hauled her up by the arm and dragged her out of the Hall.

Malfoy pinned her against the wall, quickly and easily. "What in the seven *HELLS* was that about?! AND what the bollocks did you do this morning in the library??" 

She raised an eyebrow at him, unceremoniously. "This is seeming rather repetitive Malfoy. I do hope that Lavender wasn't wrong about you..." It was no secret to any of the Gryffindor girls that Lavender had shagged Malfoy. For one thing she wasn't quiet, but when she wrote 'Draco Malfoy is the best shag. EVER.' In her namesake shade of lipstick on the mirror in the showers, it was very difficult to try and ignore it.

His ears pricked up all but visibly. "Brown? What'd she say about me?!" He grinned egotistically, and Hermione had a feeling that is his head swelled any more she might have to pop it so he could fit through doorways. 

"Just that you were….inventive." She snickered quietly, but quickly stifled it with a cough, clapping her hand to her sternum dramatically. 

Draco eyed her, an almost lustful glint in his eye. "Want to find out first hand, Granger?"

Hermione shrugged, and before she could reconsider, wrapped an arm round his neck and pulled him down to her level, kissing him firmly. She pulled back and licked her lips, considering. "Maybe. If and when I decide to, believe me, you'll be the first to know. Until then," She leaned up and whispered softly in the shell of his ear. "Stay the fuck away from me." And bit harshly at his earlobe, causing Malfoy to wince. With a swirl of her standard-issue Hogwarts robes, she was gone. 

Malfoy checked his ear for blood, and grinned like a maniac, despite being walked away from twice in one morning. "I'll have her yet…" He murmured to himself, and turned, making his way after her, to their next class. 

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Now, it's Review time! :) Thank you to all the LOVELY people who have reviewed! I really appreciated it! **Pendragon**: Ooh Compliments! Thanks for the lovely (long) review, and see, I did get writing. *Grins* It was going to happen sooner or later! **Aura The Rock Starr**: Thanks for your support, even if you can't imagine them together :p Thanks also to: **Marty, avri, fireguardian, nikki, AtanvarneK, ash, Li-chan, Mara-Potter, b0ing,** my good friend **Anna, `div** and **Dreaming One**. YOU ALL ROCK, and made me write faster with your amazing..vote of confidence..and the fact that you read my fic at all! Heh. 


	3. Preoccupation

**Author's Note:** I'm so very, very sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter. The first half was sitting around for about a month before I managed to get it finished. I hope you enjoy it, and that it clears up a few things, while making others less clear. That is my devious plan. Bwahaha. Enjoy it, and Review. Please?

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Hermione was breathless as she rounded the corner, and collapsed against the wall feeling close to hyperventilation. Raising trembling fingertips to her still swollen lips she took a deep breath and let a small smile creep onto her face. OH, she had wanted to do that for a long time. She skipped the whole way to Arithmancy. 

Putting down her quill, Hermione enjoyed the satisfaction that comes from finishing a whole page of advanced algorithms and still finishing before everyone in the class, most of whom were Ravenclaws. 

'Although that last one was a bit of a bitch,' she mused, raking her hand through her now-untidy hair. 

Stifling a yawn, she handed her sheet into Professor Vector, who gave her an approving smile, and sat down heavily in her seat. She kept replaying the kiss with Malfoy over and over in her head. Slight smile - Lean - KISS - Exit. A slow, dreamy smile, uncurled across her features as the loop reran for the fourth or fifth time. Hermione mentally shook herself and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. HARD. Good Gods, What was she doing?! She had *kissed* Malfoy!

Fearing it to be a sign of the apocalypse, she excused herself from class and made her way to the bathroom. A surprised yelp escaped her as she splashed icy cold water on her face. She stared at herself in the mirror, as if there would be some outward sign of her mental turmoil.

"What is going on with you?" She questioned her reflection who, thankfully, did not appear to be inclined to answer of it's own accord. "It's like you've been re-sorted. Gryffindors just don't DO these sorts of things. Slytherins, yes, even the occasional Ravenclaw. But not Gryffindors."

"Even when you do have a thing for a Slytherin boy?"

Hermione spun round quickly, wand in hand, gripping the basin for support. "MYRTLE! You scared me half to...." She trailed off. "You startled me!" She amended hurriedly.

Moaning Myrtle narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Hermione. 

Hermione, therefore, decided it was time to change the subject. "Have a crush on one, did you Myrtle?" 

The ghost paused in her retort and blushed, becoming slightly more opaque before fading back to her original pale silver colour. "N-no...Why do you ask?!" 

Stifling a grin, Hermione continued nonchalantly. "Oh, just wondering. Some of them are VERY good looking though, wouldn't you agree Myrtle?" 

Myrtle sighed dreamily. "Yes, rather..."

"Who in particular?" She murmured in as coaxing a manner as she was able.

"Tom..."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Tom who?" she asked in puzzlement, more to herself that to the ghost, who was staring off into the ether.

"Tom Riddle, he was head boy you know and just so amazin-"

"VOLDEMORT?!" Hermione's head spun. "You had a crush on the dark lord?! Dear GODS Myrtle! What on earth were you thinking?!"

The ghost looked affronted. "Well," She began. "It's not as if I could very well do anything about it. Other than watch him take a bath.." Myrtle grinned like a Cheshire cat "..and he *was* terribly charming."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Right. Goodbye, Myrtle." And with that Hermione turned and dashed back towards her class which, by her estimation, was close to over. When she thought about it, Hermione realised it was all a matter of perspective. After all it was one thing to consider a Slytherin good looking, (and a Malfoy at that!) but when compared to the Dark lord, Draco Malfoy looked about as intimidating as a paper bag full of feathers. 

But then he always seemed to delight in proving her wrong, didn't he?

Skidding to a halt, Hermione windmilled her arms in an attempt to compensate for the sudden stop. A warm, strong hand gripped her upper arm. "Watch it there Granger." Draco smiled almost civilly. "Wouldn't want you to fall down, would we?" With a slight nudge to her upper body, Hermione careened back into the wall with a muffled 'Oof!', stone scraping unyieldingly across her back.

"Define 'we' Malfoy." By this time a small herd of Slytherins were traversing the corridors between classes and several had stopped beside Malfoy, Hermione glanced up quickly, a sly and uncharacteristic smile spreading across her face. "Because I meant it when I said I don't want anything to do with you. Hence there being no 'we'. I thought I made that *clear* last night!" She yelled, attracting the attention of another dozen Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. "Now, if you don't move, I *will* be forced to take this to Professor McGonnagall." Draco moved out of her way from pure shock and Hermione sashayed past him on her way to her next class, which was, thankfully, without him. 

*

Midnight found Hermione poking her way through the Restricted Section, trying to muffle her coughing with the back of her hand. Apparently even Madam Pince was loath to disturb some of the older, dustier and sometimes almost sentient tomes, despite both her love and respect of books and her near-pathological hatred of dirt in any form. Hermione tried to brush her hair out of her eyes while still keeping the lumos-illuminated strands close enough to read the slab of vellum - for it could hardly be called a book in its 2346 pages of glory.

"Bollocks." She swore under her breath as yet another book gave her little information and less hope of finding the information she craved tonight. Closing _Sect or Society - Dark Wizards and their Influence on Early Modern Europe_ and sliding it soundlessly (in so far as a book that weighed over a stone could be quiet) onto the shelf. Rubbing her eyes, which by this time were bloodshot with fatigue and dust, she thumbed over the cracked and yellowed leather spines, hoping for a book which she was seeming less and less likely to come by. 

An oddly new book jumped out at her towards the end of the row, and Hermione took a hasty step back, but the book was either unable or disinclined to move further. It was bound lovingly in terracotta suede, the parchment within just barely starting to yellow despite the many and varied protective charms placed upon books under Madam Pince's care. Engraved in ornate, barely legible court script on the cover was the title: _The Life and Times of the Ivory Eloh's Cardinal-Mistresses_. Hermione squinted. The tome spoke to her - possibly because it had, quite literally, thrown itself at her - but despite it's irrelevance to her search, Hermione made off with it quietly. She had learned to trust her instincts, particularly when it came to the library.

She was unworried about being caught with a Restricted Section book. For all Madam Pince pretended, there wasn't actually a list of all the books in that part of the library. She had read in Hogwarts: A History that most of that section had been destroyed in the aftermath of the war with Grindelwald, but her own observations suggested otherwise. Had there been a list, the ministry would be asking all sorts of difficult questions, and so Hermione felt her filching would go unnoticed. The librarian was the first and only anti-theft measure used by Hogwarts - she seemed to have a disturbing condition whereby she could find books by their smell and sound. Hermione and Harry had even gone so far as to test this, by moving a select collection of easily-overlooked books to different parts of the library, and lo, in half an hour, the books were nestled comfortably in their proper locations. 

Hermione hugged the book close to her chest and made her way quickly out of the vault of books, resetting the complex wards before returning at a jog to Gryffindor Tower.

*

Each and every one of Hermione's reflexes had been honed and sharpened to a wicked point during the five years of her friendship with Harry and Ron, and each year's associated clash with Voldemort. And now, as she heard a whisper at the top of the stairs just before the portrait hole, it was as if every plate of her carefully honed armour fell into place to protect her.

Moving closer as soundlessly and as deep in the shadows as was possible, Hermione edged up the stairs.

*

Ron swore under his breath as Harry stepped on his foot. Again. When they were eleven they'd been able to fit both of them and Hermione under Harry's invisibility cloak without any difficulty. But now, between both of the boys and their almost constant Quidditch training, it was getting rather difficult to move without uncovering a rather large part of either of them. Despite taking little shuffling steps they tripped over each other so often that Harry was sure that McGonagall, Snape and possibly Dumbledore were going to come stampeding down the corridor asking what they meant with all that racket. But they didn't come. 

"Remind me again why we're doing this, Ron?"

"Oh come off it, Harry. You know how strangely she's been acting this week. If she won't tell us what's wrong, we'll have to find out for ourselves."

"But, doesn't it seem rather… underhanded to you?" Harry treasured his friends as if they were blood relations, and would not dream of upsetting any of them.

Ron, who had grown up with 5 older brothers and a sister more fiendish than the lot of them, had no such qualms about invading Hermione's privacy, no matter how much he treasured his own. "Well, she knows very well that if she didn't tell us we'd find out sooner or later. Nothing stays secret for long in Gryffindor."

'Well!' thought Hermione 'Now I know who my friends are don't I?' her cheeks started to redden with anger. She advanced up the stairs towards the hidden conversation, while Ron and Harry continued towards the stairs at a snails pace, completely oblivious to the fact that they weren't alone in the hall.

"Harry, shove over! I can hardly move here!" Ron declared in a heated stage whisper.

"You're no better. And there'd be plenty of room if you didn't lollop about!"

"I don't lollop! You do!"

Their altercation had steadily increased in volume to the stage when Hermione thought it best to sneak past them while they were otherwise engaged. Better Ron and Harry get in trouble for trying to spy on her than the three of them. Hermione had to keep her nose clean if she wanted to become Head Girl. She frowned at her own thoughts, but continued regardless, slipping through the portrait hole with a whispered 'fortiter et fideliter', sneaking up to her dormitory without so much as a glance in her direction from the still-quarreling pair in plain sight. Hermione shook her head and toed off her shoes, falling asleep almost the minute her head touched her pillow.

The lavish book was still tucked close to her chest, under her robes.

~*~

_Fortiter et fideliter_ means _Courageously and faithfully_. I thought it rather fitting for Gryffindors. 15 house points and a chocolate frog to anyone who can pick the BBC Pride and Prejudice quote.

I tried to make Hermione different enough that it's obvious she's going through some changes without making her completely OOC and unbelievable. I hope it was okay.

To all my lovely and patient reviewers: I cannot believe you've put up with me after how much I stuffed you around, for almost two and a half months, in fact. 

**Dreaming One**: Your review gave me a lot to think about before I started writing again and I agree that Hermione was OOC. I tried to give an explanation of that, at least a little but I'm not sure it worked. As to the Chest, it will play a part later on.

**ProfessorMirandaMcGuire** and **Avri**: I hope you don't think I'm shunning either of you, I just really wanted to get this up. If any suggestions jump out at you after reading this, let me know? (that goes for anyone else reading this as well!)

**Tainted black**: I hope I lessened (if not fixed) the OOC-ness of my Hermione. And those are my curses, and I'm proud of them. *beams*

Also to **fireguardian**, **RelenaS**, **Red of Rose**, **Fashiondiva**, **Becca**, **plastic**, **`div**, **Sila-chan** and **Tokyobabe2040**: thank you for your reviews and, hence support. Seeing a new review every time I checked my email made me write a little more every time I thought about it. 


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